Welcome to Virginia Tech: Brayden Shushok

A Future Hokie’s Two Cents on the Greater Blacksburg Area

Written by Brayden Shushok.

In many aspects, I am just like any other incoming freshman flocking to campus in the fall. I will get lost on the way to class, I won’t know which dining hall has the shortest lines at lunch time, and I won’t know how to get anywhere but Burruss in a timely manner.

But something that sets me apart from the rest of the class of 2021 is that I have lived just two minutes from campus for almost nine years. Although I can’t give a comprehensive review of every restaurant in the area or a confident suggestion of where to get your clothes altered, I like to think I have thoroughly experienced the Blacksburg area and have sufficient knowledge on all it has to offer.

Keeping that in mind, I thought I’d plug a few tips and tricks from a “townie” to the thousands of new students making Blacksburg their home in August.

To begin, I think it’s imperative that I touch on the seemingly endless outdoor activities within a 30-mile radius of campus. Blacksburg is just 10 miles away from the second oldest river in the world, the New River. The New is host to a plethora of ways to take advantage of it’s warm waters; river tubing, kayaking, fishing, and recreational swimming are all very popular in the warmer months. Blacksburg is also just six miles away from the Jefferson National Forest, which encompasses 2,000 miles of trails alone. However, the most important advice I can give is to get out and explore the beautiful area in which we live. I promise you won’t regret it.

Secondly, driving around town can be a frustrating experience for anyone new to the area. Although you won’t see the bumper to bumper traffic commonplace in NOVA or Richmond, there are a few bits of information that are not only helpful to newcomers, but will make the town as a whole run much more smoothly and without incident. To begin, learn how to use a roundabout. They aren’t prevalent in many areas, but we have several here that become easily backed up when people don’t know how to navigate them. Secondly, there is never any practical parking downtown. If you’re planning on driving, you’ll most likely have to use a parking garage (that can be semi-costly). Otherwise, it is best to walk. Lastly, on gameday, it is impossible to get anywhere in a timely manner by vehicle after 9 a.m. Plan accordingly.

Lastly, Blacksburg may be home to a fantastic four-year institution, many great restaurants and endless things to do. But what makes Blacksburg  is the people who live here. My biggest tip is to get to know members of the community, affiliated with the university or not. The 18,000 or so “year-round” residents of Blacksburg are not only passionate about their neighbors, but the students who attend our beloved university. That’s what sets Blacksburg apart from any other college town in America -- Hokies wholeheartedly give back to the community, and the community equally reciprocates.